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Happy April Dear Friend, 
 
Have you ever wondered what it looks like for our homemaking to be a picture of the gospel to our families and the watching world? I know I'm not the only one pondering this, and I'd love to share a few thoughts on my heart on this topic.
 
If we are in Christ and have come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ through repentance and faith, then it should have a transformative effect on every aspect of our lives, especially beginning with how we live that out within our own homes.
 
We're called as Christians to die to self:
Mark 8:34
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
 
And to live for God:
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
 
The gospel is the life of Jesus being lived out in His disciples.
 
In Philippians 3:8-9, Paul proclaims the gospel's centrality to all of life:
I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ …
 
We now have a righteous standing before God. We've been declared not guilty before Him. Not a self-righteousness but a Christ-righteousness - solely based on faith alone.
 
Living out the gospel in our homemaking shows a picture of where our confidence lies; it's in Jesus who is our only hope.
 
Philippians 3:10-11 continues:
that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
 
This picture of the gospel is lived out as we serve our families with an attitude of gratitude, giving thanks to the Lord in and through all things.
 
 
It's lived out by a woman who extends grace, kindness, and hospitality to those inside and outside her home.
 
Its picture is lived out as we love others sacrificially as we've been loved and shown how to love and equipped to love in Christ.
 
1 John 3:16 tells us:
"We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives …"
This goes against the "it's all about me culture" of today.
 
It's lived out as we forgive much as we've been forgiven much, and we are living lives of repentance before the Lord and our families.
 
We continually remove the log from our own eye before we remove the speck from others.
 
We extend much grace to one another and respond with mercy and gentleness toward one another, even in hard situations.
 
In closing these thoughts, I want to share a good reminder Elisabeth Elliot gave us:
“Does God ask us to do what is beneath us? This question will never trouble us again if we consider the Lord of Heaven taking a towel and washing feet.”
 
As we serve and love others, I pray we will do it with a heart of self-forgetfulness. Keeping our eyes on Christ and loving others as He has loved us. 
 
Much Love,
Marci
 
PS: The blog just got a bit of a makeover and my hope was to make it easier to navigate. It's still going through some tweaks but hoping it will be fully finished in the next week. Head over and take a peek when you get a moment 🥰.
 

 
 
 
 
 

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The Hi-Contrast Hymn Book is a beautiful board book designed to help Christian families raise their children and grandchildren in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I have personally backed this Kickstarter campaign! And I hope you will consider supporting it!
 
The Hi-Contrast Hymn Book's captivating illustrations will create a special moment of truth, goodness, and beauty in your home every day. Its bold shapes and high-contrast colors mean your infant's developing eyes can focus on each page — even as early as six weeks old.
 
In just five minutes per day, your children or grandchildren will hear the truth of God's Word sung into their ears. And they'll start their life enjoying books and becoming familiar with sheet music! Purchase a copy for your little one, an expectant mother in your life, or one for each of your grandchildren.
 
Thankful Homemaker is one of the few places to hear about this limited-time Kickstarter campaign, so take advantage before it ends on May 8th! Each additional book you purchase comes with an automatic 33% discount.

 
One of my current reads is still Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and I forgot how much I enjoyed this book (I'm reading this one before bed and it doesn't take me long for my eyelids to get heavy when I read in bed so it may linger on for a bit). 
 
I've also not taken on much extra reading as preparing for the Sermon on the Mount series takes us some good reading time, and we just started a new ladies' bible study at church on Philippians, so much of my time has been spent in studying the Word which is a sweet blessing!
 
My audiobook listen is Emma by Jane Austen and my read for this Easter season is In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel-Centered Life by Sinclair Ferguson.
 
You can see all my favorite reads at my Amazon Shop along with my book selections for 2023. 
To Watch:
 
@Ligonier
“John 17 features our Savior’s praying for His people and their unity, and this unity is grounded in union and communion with Christ—Christ in us and us in Christ. In this message, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson looks at the doctrine of our union and communion with our Savior, explaining how He is the source of all the benefits of salvation and how a true grasp of our union with Him helps us stand firm in this dark world.”
 
To Listen:
 
@Transformed Podcast
Habits shape who we are. Dr. Gifford defines two types of habits and explores the process of changing them.
 
@Transformed Podcast
How would others describe you? Kind and considerate or rude and condescending? In this episode, Dr. Gifford continues to examine the effects of our habits.
 
To Wear:
Carly Jean Los Angeles is my number one place to shop for all my core clothing items with their jeans being a favorite. This weekend if you use the code THJEANS25 you get 25% off all jeans. The sale starts Thursday (April 6th) at 9AM PST and runs until Sunday (April 9th) until Midnight PST. 
 
A Few Good Reads: 
 
In case you missed it, March's Tea Time Newsletter had quite a few Easter links to help you celebrate a Christ-focused Easter. 
 
@Cripplegate
"Biblical Theology approaches the Bible as a cohesive narrative, with a crisis, conflict, climax, and resolution; it then interprets stories not in isolation, but rather as they relate to the whole. It intentionally approaches the Bible as one complete book, rather than as an anthology of short stories.” 
 
You can watch Nancy Guthrie's video on Biblical Theology called, It's Not About You Here. 
 
@Desiring God
Usually for me, life-changing insight — and I have been changed by reading — comes in a moment, in a paragraph, in a sentence, not in a book. I don’t remember books whole.”
 
@Lara d'Entremont
"I can both keep the gospel as the most important part of my life and still hold my secondary and tertiary beliefs passionately. While they aren’t the main thing, they are still important."
 
@Gentle Reformation
“Faith, hope, and love are a necessary and beautiful part of life on this side of glory, but love is the greatest of these virtues. Faith will turn to sight. Hope will become reality. But love never fails – because love will continue on into eternity. Love is forever.”
 

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The password to the FREE Library of Printables is Homemaking. (It is case sensitive and can be a bit glitchy on phones but works great on tablets or computers.)

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